Peace of Mind V2
by Spah
Summary: After Civil War displaces Irving Eisenherz and his Sister Sophia from their hometown, Vermillion City, Irving attempts to come to terms with his internal turmoil and anger towards Team Rocket.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Saying good-bye to his home was one of the most traumatizing things Irving Eisenherz ever had to do. For fourteen years, He had lived with his younger sister, Sophia, in a moderately-sized house in one of the nicer parts of Vermilion City. He had fond memories of when he lived peacefully in this busy port city. Just yesterday, he'd visited one of the parks off of route 11 with his family. Irving regularly visited the various parks surrounding the city. The lack of other people calmed him and let him read in peace, so long as Sophia didn't bother him. Not that she usually did, as Sophia often went searching for Pokémon to observe and play with. These outings weren't exactly unusual, but Irving nevertheless cherished them. It broke his heart to know that the previous days excursion had been his last.

Irving had bigger things to worry about at the moment, though. Namely getting Sophia and himself to the next boat leaving the city. He'd already missed the previous two ships (the two of them were beaten out by more desperate, forceful passengers), and he intended to not to miss the third.

Soon enough, a large white luxury ship arrived. On the side was engraved "_S.S. Maria_", in big bold letters. Just like the previous two ships, the _Maria_ was a converted passenger ship. While it was designed to take a large number of people over a long distance, the Maria was modified to cram as many people as possible into its hold. All superfluous parts were gutted to make room for extra living space. The indoor cinema and main halls were effectively turned into refugee camps. These numerous open halls could hold many hundreds of people since passenger comfort was an afterthought.

Just getting on the boat itself was unpleasant; Irving, gripping his sister's hand tight, fought his way through the boarding crowd. It was rough, but Irving used he and his sister's relative smallness to navigate onto the ship. Irving expected the passengers to be cutthroat; desperate people often were. No one was more desperate than these civilians trying to flee the rapidly increasing violence in Vermillion city. Many of these people had lost their homes or parts of their family as a side effect of the violence.

Irving was one of those unfortunate persons who had lost both their home and family. What used to be his house was now bits of wood and metal in and around a smoldering crater; his parents were just charred remains plastering this "house". Irving and Sophia both learned this the hard way. Neither of them got to say a proper good bye; they just returned home from school to find that their house had been annihilated, along with their parents. They couldn't salvage anything from their home, so they had to make do with the clothes on their backs. The only reminders of home were their Pokémon, Sophia's Psyduck and Irving's Togepi and Mudkip.

Irving lead Sophia into the bowels of the ship. His objective: secure somewhere to sleep and some food for the two of them. However, as he reached the ship's hold, Irving realized the first objective would be next to impossible. Not because there was no room; the hold was incredibly spacious. No, Irving could not "secure" a place to sleep because the sleeping arrangements were "sleep where ever you want on this empty floor". Nixing the first goal, the Eisenherz siblings made their way to the cafeteria where people were lining up for their inevitable food allotments for themselves and their Pokémon.

**000LineBreak000**

Both Irving and Sophia received Pokémon for their tenth birthdays, which their parents, and society as a whole, deemed to be the correct time to learn the responsibility of Pokémon care. Everyone else got a live Pokémon from their parents, or if they were really lucky, from a local Pokémon professor. Irving, on the other hand, received a Togepi egg from his father, who was a researcher at Vermillion University. Irving remembered the disappointment the disappointment that he felt upon seeing this egg. He felt cheated; everyone else in his class got a cool creature to show off. All Irving had to show was a white egg with some colored spots on it; hardly interesting for a ten-year-old. He tried to bargain with his father, hoping for a different Pokémon. "You're ten, Irving. It's time for you to learn some responsibility; this egg is yours now and it's your responsibility to take care of it. Not everyone gets a rare Pokémon like Togepi, you know. I had to pull some strings in the university to get you one of our research Pokémon to raise. You should be more appreciative; you're very lucky, after all."

Irving's eyes lit up when he heard his father say "rare Pokémon". After all, a boring Pokémon egg was nothing, but a rare one had value. Excited, Irving ran up into his room and looked up Togepi in the Pokémon Encyclopedia. He hastily flipped through the pages, covering whole chucks of the book...A...C...F...L...Q... wondering what sort of creature Togepi would become. Irving hoped Togepi would turn into something big and powerful, something that would really impress all of the new trainers and give him a competitive edge. Reaching the "T" section of the Encyclopedia, Irving prepared to be amazed...

...and was disappointed a second time. Instead of some exotic type, like dragon or steel or psychic, Togepi would be a normal type. Lovely.

Oh, but it might have lots of good attacks; lots of normal types have big movepools to compensate...

Nope, Togepi had mostly support moves, and what few attacking moves it learns are held back by its terrible strength and speed.

It still could have an awesome evolution; after all, Magikarp does...

Nope, Togetic is just a flying Togepi, and Togekiss just sounds weak.

But father was correct; Togepis are practically impossible to find in most regions. They were almost endangered as a species. Of course they were, They couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag.

Irving considered complaining to dad, but he knew deep down that he'd never replace Togepi with something else. So instead, downtrodden, Irving accepted Togepi half-heartedly.

**000LineBreak000**

After a short wait in the queue, Irving received his and Sophia's dole of Pokémon food. Hard and brown, the cheap food wasn't particularly delicious, but Irving had no other options to feed his Pokémon with. Setting the food on the floor in the disposable bowls it came in, Irving released Togepi and Mudkip.

"Toge-priiiii!" Togepi chirped, happy to see his owner, overpowering Mudkip's Sleepier cry. Irving wasn't in the mood to interact with his companions at the moment, so he put on the biggest smile he could conjure up and directed the two them to their food. As they began to eat, Sophia released Psyduck from its pokeball.

"psyyyy." the yellow water-bird said in his usual nasal manner. Unlike Irving, Sophia retained the disturbed look on her face that she wore all day. Psyduck didn't notice, however, because he smelled the food and also started to eat. In contrast to Togepi's small nibbles, psyduck chowed down the pokefood, shoving as much food into his mouth as possible.

Leaving their Pokémon be for now, Irving instead looked around floor at the people and Pokémon inhabiting it. The line to the food dole was the obvious attraction, as pretty much everyone on the boat had lined up to get their allotment. Despite the variety of people who were on the ship, Irving could have mistook the cafeteria for an inner city soup kitchen. Even the better off civilians were only carrying a few possessions with them, and most people were only carrying what was on their backs. But what everyone had in common was "the look", even if they didn't have the thousand-yard stare, most people just looked haggard and browbeaten. Not a single happy expression dotted the innumerable faces of the Vermillion city folk, and the tentative peace was kept by the watchful eye of the strict guard.

Irving couldn't blame people for their more violent outbursts. Everyone here had gone through hell just to get on this miserable boat, and the sheer number of people was overwhelming to say the least.

**000LineBreak000**

Irving was given full responsibility of the Togepi egg the morning after his tenth birthday. He'd have to carry it for most of the day and sleep with it at night; eggs require constant warmth from the parent to develop correctly, and Irving didn't want his Togepi to be worse than it already was.

Carrying such a bulky object everywhere was a huge drag at first; Togepis weigh quite a few pounds and the egg itself was sizeable. Unlike professional Pokémon hatchers, who used special egg carriers, ergonomically designed for easy transport and efficient heat management, Irving could only immerse the egg in a warm blanket received from his parents and hug it against his chest. Whenever he went to school, Irving would constantly have his hands full. The Togepi Egg didn't leave nearly enough space on Irving's desk for comfortable writing and, as Irving learned in on nearly catastrophic incident, he couldn't leave Togepi on the floor either. Togepi came with him whenever he went to the bathroom, which meant finding a space to place to put him, maybe on the big toilet paper dispenser or maybe on the counter by the sinks, even though he could risk someone snatching togepi when he wasn't looking, and it was such a pain.

And as he'd unfortunately predicted, no one in the class gave two shits, and in most cases, not even one, about a Pokémon egg, even a supposedly _rare_ one. Togepi could not battle, and therefore, was not of value to any of the kids, who were itching to battle with all of the other. While everyone else battled during recess, Irving sat on the sidelines, watching, holding his Togepi tight, and hoping that someone would lend him a Pokémon to join in.

Still, Irving couldn't bring himself to hate the Togepi egg. The Togepi egg radiated copious amounts of body heat, making the egg easy to sleep with during the colder months. Even when it wasn't cold, Togepi's constant presence soothed Irving. Despite being left out of most battles at school, Irving never felt lonely; unlike most of the students, who still kept their Pokémon in Pokeballs during most of the day, Irving was _always_ with Togepi, he gradually grew attached to Togepi. He even began to talk to it like a friend when they were alone.

Forcing Irving to hatch his first Pokémon also made the reward all the sweeter. As soon as he hatched, Togepi thought of Irving as it's mother because of all the time Irving spent holding and talking to the egg (Irving being the first person Togepi saw also helped). Not only did Togepi unconditionally love Irving, Togepi also happened to be Irving's kind of Pokémon. He turned out to be calm by nature, so he fit with Irving's usually low key personality. Togepi was the kind of Pokémon who Irving could have sit on his lap, completely still, while he was reading or doing homework. Togepi wasn't much of a hassle to take care, either, requiring little food or exercise. Because of these positive traits, Irving regarded Togepi as his best friend, someone who Irving could rely on consistently providing company.

**000LineBreak000**

As the three Pokémon finished eating their food, a voice came over the ship's speaker system.

"Attention all passengers. We are now departing for Canalave city."

The announcement came too soon for Irving's liking. Not that Irving thought he could stay, but deep down, he hoped that they wouldn't have to leave. He felt a poke in his sides and turned his head to Sophia.

"Irving, can we go outside?" she said, choking up a little. "Please."

"Of course, we can. Let's go take a look."

This was going to be painful.

Irving followed Sophia to railing on the side facing Vermillion city. The two of them took one last look at their hometown. It was from a different angle than they were used to, but Irving still recognized all of the landmarks: the dockyards where Irving watched many a ship come and go on a slow day, the flat construction site which Irving hoped would get turned into something but knew would never amount to anything, and the Vermillion Gym right on the water's edge. Their neighborhood to the north of the city was also visible, though their former house invisible behind the foliage and other houses.

Sophia tugged at Irving's shirt.

"Irving..."

Before Irving could respond, Sophia embraced him and buried her head in his chest. Irving returned the hug and Sophia began sobbing. Irving knew that Sophia would be a mess because of this; she never could deal with loss very well. Hell, even Irving couldn't keep the tears in. His checks got progressively wetter as he watched from the moving boat as the city disappeared into the distance.

**000LineBreak000**

The two off them stayed on the deck for a while, neither really in the mood to stay inside in the hustle and bustle of the inner hold. Vermillion had long since disappeared into the sea. In spite of the somber mood, Togepi, Psyduck, and Mudkip happily ran around the deck, tagging and playing with each other. Sophia didn't have the energy to play with them and instead was sleeping on one of the deck chairs. The Pokémon seemed to be fine by themselves, so Irving had been sitting on the deck chair next to Sophia, watching the sea. Needing some engagement after staring into the distance for so long, Irving picked up a newspaper that someone had left on one of the nearby chairs.

It was a copy of _The_ _Vermillion Standard_, the city's main newspaper. While not terribly exceptional as a news source, this newspaper was the only thing Irving had to read at the moment, so he didn't care. On the front page was a headline similar to the ones he'd seen in previous installments.

**"Death Toll Rises as Fighting in Vermillion City Escalates"**

As if Irving needed more reminders. Irving lived in the Northern Vermillion City suburbs, where the fighting was violently escalating. He'd even seen some the fighting himself, although not for long. Still, Irving's boredom compelled him to read on.

_Yesterday, clashes in the suburb of Napierville resulted in the deaths of 8 police officers and an unknown number of civilians and Rebels. The Hoenn-based Pokémon World Observatory reported that the fighting in Vermillion city intensified over the last week, resulting in a series of deadly clashes similar to the one that happened yesterday._

_Vermillion city Police commissioner Nick Ramsey had this to say:_

_"It is regrettable that these 8 officers died in the line of duty, and my heart goes out to their families. Arceus willing, we will see an end to this fighting soon, and these Team ROCKET Rebels will receive their due punishment. Until then, expect the Vermillion City Police Department to fight with every ounce of our strength."_

_These clashes coincide with a recent Rebel offensive in the east of Vermillion city. National Guard Brigade leader Colonel Ray Osborne stated that these attacks were carried out with the intent to gain control of the Diglett Tunnel, a vital supply line from Pewter city. Although these attacks have been vicious, Osborne predicts that the Kanto National Army (KNA) will put up stiff resistance and prevail._

Enough of that. Irving wasn't terribly in the mood to read more about how the whole country was going to shit. Besides, it was getting late; the ship's staff were in the process of rounding everyone up for dinner. Irving wasn't hungry at the moment, but thought it prudent to follow orders.

"Sophia. Hey, Sis." Irving whispered to Sophia, while mildly shaking her. "Wake up."

"Huh." Sophia said groggily, still half-asleep.

"It's time for dinner. Everyone's going inside."

"Oh, okay." Sophia replied as she got out of her deck chair.

Irving and Sophia returned their Pokémon to their Pokéballs and made their way inside. Once again, the line was way too long for comfort, but Irving & Sophia waited on it anyway, getting their bowls full of indiscernible slop. They sat down in the least populated area of the ship they could find and ate in silence for a little while. Neither of them had the energy to continue eating, so they discarded their food and went to the general hall to stake a claim on some area of the ship to stay at.

As luck would have it there was an empty space against one of the walls in a smaller room that hadn't been claimed yet. It wasn't exactly a soft fancy mattress, but given the relative quietness of the whole area, Irving didn't care. The two of them sat down, Irving laying against the wall and Sophia resting her head in his lap, and promptly collapsed from exhaustion.

**000LineBreak000**

AN: Hey, Everyone (All one of you reading this)! Spah here.

You may be thinking to yourself, "Hey, Spah. Didn't I read a shorter version of this a while ago."

Why yes you did. This here is a remake of the my previous story Peace of Mind/Vengeance/Whatever.

I realized that the writing wasn't up to snuff, and more importantly, It didn't have any real overall planning to it, which would hurt it in the long run.

So anyway, Rate & Review please. I'll make sure to cherish each message, so long as it isn't flaming (negative constructive criticism is always welcome.)

Seeya!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Irving Awoke the next morning with a most uncomfortable neck cramp. Okay, then; next time, don't fall asleep against a ship's walls. And despite his wishes, yesterday was not a dream he had just woken up from. Either way, Irving though he should locate his sister _oh wait there was a warm weight upon his lap when did she get there_.

Sophia was still snoozing, head resting on Irving's legs. Given how much she had gone through the previous day it was only natural that she would be so tired. Irving attempted to remove her head from his lap without waking her.

"Irving?" said a drowsy voice. Attempt failed.

"Don't get up, Sophia. I'm just going to get some food." Irving said in a quiet reassuring voice.

"Oh, okay." Sophia mumbled before falling back asleep. Not wanting to leave her alone in such a vulnerable state, Irving released Mudkip.

"Kip." it cried in a confident voice.

"Mudkip, I want you to watch Sophia while I'm gone. Okay?" Irving whispered to his Pokémon while gesturing to his sister.

"Mud-Kip!" It replied, acknowledging the order.

Irving walked out, moving carefully so not to disturb the room's other occupants. It was a short walk from there to the mess hall, but the long lines for the food dole would no doubt compensate for the brief travelling time. Irving got in line once again and waited.

**000Linebreak000**

Like Togepi, Mudkip had been a Birthday gift for Irving, this time for his 12th birthday. Unlike Togepi, Mudkip came to Irving pre-hatched, although just by days. Mudkip was practically a newborn when Irving got him. Irving received Mudkip much more positively than he had Togepi, happy that he now had a Pokémon that would been a great fighter, given some time investment.

Also, unlike Togepi, Mudkip was an excitable youth. Whereas Togepi was slow and quiet, Mudkip was rowdy and rambunctious. Mudkip would run all over the house at top speed and crash into objects and _oh shit that's the family vase you'll be skinned alive_. After that incident, Irving learned to only let Mudkip out of its Pokéball outside. Not that that ended Irving's headaches.

Mudkip must have fashioned itself some sort of hero on a quest because he explored _everywhere _whenever Irving let him out. If Irving released him in the park, he'd bolt from bush to tree to pond to bush to tree ad nauseum. And, of course, Mudkip wouldn't come back when called, leaving Irving to run the span of the land back and forth yelling _Mudkip come here Mudkip MUDKIP come now!_

Oh, and each time Irving found Mudkip, he would no doubt be in some confrontation with some wild Pokémon he found. Mudkip loved Brawling more than an obnoxious bar drunk, and usually Irving would have no problem with this given his love of battling, but...

...he sucked. Like, really badly. Mudkip was an infant when Irving got him, so even the weak normal wild Pokémon could serve Mudkip's ass on a platter. And of course, Arceus forbid if he ever picked a fight with an evolved Pokémon; as it turns out, a gang of Raticates could flatten a baby Mudkip in mere seconds. Go figure.

Irving invested in a leash after that.

**000Linebreak000**

Irving walked back to the room his sister was in with two plates of warm delicious home-cooking and some equally scrumptious looking cuisine for the Pokémon. At least that's what he told himself, hoping it might make that wish true.

Irving entered the room, which was mostly empty because of the morning breakfast scramble.

"Mudkiiip!" Irving's Pokémon cheerfully cried as he ran up to his returning master.

"Good boy, Mudkip. Here's some food." Irving greeted him as he put down one of the plates.

An awake Sophia was playing with her Psyduck, turning her head when Irving approached.

"Morning, brother!" Sophia cheerily said. At least the sleep seemed to have a good effect on her.

"Good morning, Sophia." Irving replied with a slight smile. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah." Sophia replied. If the pain in his neck was any indicator, Irving sure as hell didn't.

"Hey, I got you breakfast." Irving said as he passed one of the plates to his sister.

"What _is_ it?" Sophia asked, staring at the plate with a disgusted look.

"You're better off not knowing."

Sighing, Sophia started to eat the mystery slop in front of her. Irving released Togepi, who greeted him with a cheerful "Priiiii" as Irving passed him and Psyduck bowls of pokefood. Only after everyone else had been given food did Irving dig in to his own plate.

Irving took a first bite of whatever was on his plate _oh, Arceus that was wretched tasting_. Irving adopted a new strategy, shovel everything into his mouth as quickly as possible. It might not taste better, but it sure as hell won't last as long.

**000Linebreak000**

Irving was starting to get the hang of dealing with Mudkip. And thankfully, Mudkip was starting to grow up finally. Though still rambunctious, Mudkip started to learn not to pick a fight with everything he saw. Mudkip had grown up, if only a little.

Of course, this meant that Irving could start training him. Irving had raised Mudkip with the hope that at the end, he'd have a mighty Swampert. Now a bit more in control of his Pokémon, Irving started to battle wild Pokémon in the fields of Vermillion City's outskirts. The wild Rattatas and Pidgeys would be excellent fodder for Mudkip's climb to the top.

And what a climb it would be. Mudkip started from the bottom of the ladder; he couldn't even properly use the most basic water attacks yet, so most battles devolved into stamina matches between Mudkip and his opponent, usually ending not in Mudkip's favor. At this level, Mudkip couldn't hope to outlast his stronger opponents like Togepi could.

_Yeah, sure, Sophia._

Togepi in some ways was much easier to battle with than Mudkip. While Togepi was slow and physically weak, he was a tank when it came to soaking up damage. Togepi take repeated tackles with ease and dish them back. Togepi's shell was a great boon, as the impact against such a hard surface wore out many a wild Rattata. Togepi's repeated incinerate and toxic attacks, which he learned through TMs Irving saved up for, proved to be the bane of many a Pokémon, as Togepi's ranged power decimated them before they could perform any strong attacks.

Mudkip, on the other hand, was strong, but didn't have the bulk necessary to take more than a couple attacks. Even after some training, Mudkip still relied on mud-slap and water gun to keep his opponents from hitting him. Mudkip couldn't exactly take much abuse, but he sure as hell could dish it out. After repeated practice against some tin cans and once against Irving _no Mudkip no no no Arceus STOP_, Mudkip produce a powerful water gun which knocked out most of his opponents in two to three shots. After enough battles, Mudkip could shoot moving Pidgeys out of the air and battle with the local wildlife become more akin to target practice.

It was time to move on to bigger prey.

**000Linebreak000**

Irving was finishing his breakfast when he noticed that Sophia wasn't sitting next to him anymore. Startled by her disappearance, Irving quickly scanned the room; there were a few passengers hanging out, but no sign of Sophia. He turned his head to the Pokémon. Togepi was still there which meant that she was either out for a little bit or something happened to her. Crap how long has it been-

"Hey, Irving, I'm back."

Irving cocked his head towards the door. Sophia was in the doorway, the area around her eyes red from irritation. Oh, there she is.

"Sophia, where were you?" Irving asked, both concerned and relieved.

"I was in the bathroom. Like I said I would be." Sophia responded with one eyebrow raised "Remember?"

Irving racked his brain. Loading...Loading...EURIKA!

"Oh, right. I must have spaced out."

"Clearly."

"Anyway, since we're done eating, you wanna go outside?"

"Fine. Whatever." Sophia responded curtly and returned her Psyduck to its Pokéball.

Sophia was never this curt.

"You okay, Sophia?" Irving asked as he returned both of his Pokémon back to their containers.

"I'm perfectly alright, Irving!" she snapped and walked out of the room.

Irving collected the Styrofoam plates they had eaten off of and chucked them in the neared garbage can and then followed Sophia, who barely kept line of sight with him.

By the time Irving reached the deck, Sophia was already playing with Psyduck by the ship's bow. Irving ambled his way over to an empty set of deck chairs where she was. He sat down and released Togepi, holding the small creature in his lap.

Irving watched his sister playing with Psyduck against the background of a late morning sea. She was playing the only game she could on this ship, tag. Sophia and Psyduck ran back and forth trying to tag each other. As the game ran on, Sophia started giggling and laughing. Irving smiled at the scene, at peace with Togepi in his arms.

**000Linebreak000**

It was the first day back to school. Irving walked the halls, a little more confident than usual. With Mudkip on his side, Irving could stand actually stand a chance against his classmates. He looked forward to his first free period. Various returning classmates greeted him _Hey Irving how's it goin' buddy sup Irving_. During this time, some classes passed. Couldn't tell you which ones; it was all a blur to Irving.

Soon enough that lovely bell rang, symbolizing the beginning of Irving's free period. Irving bolted out of whatever classroom he was in and made his way outside. On the School's property, there was a certain field that, when not populated by kids smoking, was used to hold Pokémon battles. And sometimes it had both. Sure enough, there were a couple of kids from Irving's own class that shooting the shit there. Thankfully, it was only the first day back, so the only grass that the spot smelled of was the freshly cut kind. Seeing Irving approaching, Pokéball in hand, one of the teens that Irving recognized smirked.

"Hey, Irving, you actually have a Pokémon that can fight worth a shit?"

"I got a new one for my B-day, so I'm good to go." Irving responded.

"Oh, really? Let's see it."

"Come on out, Mudkip!" Irving summoned. Mudkip arrived on the field, raring to go.

"Cool mon, bro. Too bad my Fearow's gunna kick its ass." the boy whose name Irving couldn't remember said. His Fearow burst forth from the light with a vicious look in its eye and squawked menacingly at Mudkip.

Ho-boy.

"Hey James, ref for us." the teen asked his friend.

"Fine. Whatevs." James responded, lighting up a cigarette as he walked over.

"Trainers, ready?" He asked in the most lax manner possible. Irving and his opponent both nodded.

"Cool. Then Start, already."

"Fearow! Fuck 'im up with drill peck!" That teen confidently ordered. His Fearow flew up into the air and then charged Mudkip with a large, vibrating beak.

"Mudkip, Dodge and use water gun !" Irving Commanded.

As Fearow barreled down toward him, Mudkip jumped to the side and shot a powerful water-jet into Fearow's side, knocking him off target. Despite the shot's strength, Fearow looked more started than hurt as it flew back to its trainer's side.

"Fearow! Drill peck again! And don't miss this time!" The trainer ordered. Fearow once again charged Mudkip, this time angrier, but yet more focused.

"Mudkip, water gun dodge!" Irving Ordered. Mudkip prepared himself for Irving's custom technique. Just before Fearow could hit him, Mudkip shot the ground next to him the strongest water gun he could manage. The blast force flung Mudkip out of Fearow's trajectory, causing Fearow to break out of his dive attack, and fly around.

"What the fuck was that?" the dumbstruck teen asked. What it was was a special technique to take advantage of Mudkip's strengths to minimize his weaknesses. Mudkip may not have been able to take a hit well, but his light weight meant his strong water guns had more than enough force to act as an emergency "eject" skill.

"Fuck this. Fearow, use fury attack!" The teen that Irving was vaguely acquainted with ordered.

"Mudkip, Water Pulse!" Irving ordered.

As Irving predicted, Fearow flew towards Mudkip in a slower, more controlled method, leaving him open Mudkip's sharpshooter skills. Mudkip fired a powerful aquatic pulse towards Fearow, nailing it directly.

"Shake it off, Fearow!" The trainer ordered. Fearow, though hurt, pressed through with the attack. Using its size to overwhelm Mudkip, Fearow landed and pummeled the small blue Pokémon with its beak.

"Get out of there, Mudkip!" Irving yelled at the endangered Mudkip. Mudkip once again shot the ground with water, propelling him backwards and spraying mud into Fearow's face. Despite Mudkip's movement to another location, Fearow continued to attack the same patch of dirt.

"What the hell are you doing, Fearow!" The unnamed teen asked.

Alright, water pulse confused Fearow, time for a counterattack! Mudkip should probably- oh wait, he's exhausted. The repeated water attacks war out Mudkip, especially combined with Fearow's repeated attacks. No matter!

"Mudkip, use water pulse!" Mudkip summoned up its remaining strength and shot another powerful water discharge. Too confused to comprehend its surroundings, Fearow took the attack directly, knocking it on to the ground.

"Fearow! You alright?" Irving's concerned opponent asked. Fearow was stunned temporarily, as it had the wind knocked right out of it, but soon enough, Fearow's surprise turned to rage as it regained its senses.

"Mudkip! Don't give Fearow time to recover! Use water gun!" Irving advised, taking advantage of his enemy's opening. However, Mudkip was barely able to stand, let alone attack again. Mudkip staggered in place as Fearow got airborne again.

"Awesome! Use drill peak! Go for the kill!" The teen ordered. Fearow, happy to oblige, charged up, as tired as it was, and slammed into Mudkip, knocking it unconscious.

"Mudkip!" Irving called as he ran to his Pokémon's side. Not that there was much he could do; Mudkip was down for the count and needed rest, so Irving returned him to his Pokéball.

"Good job." He whispered, happy with Mudkip's performance.

"Arceus! That runt gave my Fearow a run for his money. You been feeding him Rare Candies or what?" the teen Irving was somewhat familiar with asked.

"Haha, no I haven't been." Irving responded, half-smiling and scratching the back of his head.

"Shit, man. You must have been trained him a whole bunch." James said "I ain't seen nuthin that small beat up something as big as a Fearow!"

"Man, I thought my Fearow was gunna be hot shit, but if something that small is handing my Pokémon to me on a silver platter, I should probably get to training again."

"ah, um, thanks guys." Irving said, a little embarrassed from the attention and looking at his feet.

"Hey, your name's Irving, right?" James asked, Irving nodding to confirm it. "Name's James, man. Alex _oh Alex that's his name_ and I are usually hang out around during this period if you're interested."

"Yeah, man. You totally should." Alex said "Plus a little extra practice for the city tournament wouldn't hurt."

"Isn't the Tournament only a couple of months from now?" Irving asked.

"Yeah, man. I've been blowing off practicing for it; probably should get around to it." James said.

"Anyway, I should probably get going. Got class soon and such." Irving said, awkwardly looking away and scratching the back of his neck.

"Later, dude." Irving heard one of them call, as he walked back towards school, a little happier than before.

**000Linebreak000**

The sun had rising to the top of the sky, shinning down on Irving as still held a now sleeping Togepi on his lap. Irving yawned a little and checked his watch for the time. Most of the people who were around before had disappeared, no doubt to get their next ration of food from the mess hall. The only person close by was Sophia, who was leaning on the ships railing by herself, staring out into the sea. Might as well, go check up on her. Probably should get some lunch soon.

Irving quietly returned his sleeping companion back to its container and then made his way over to Sophia. Standing a few feet behind her, Irving spoke.

"Sophia. Hey, we should probably get some lunch soon."

Sophia didn't respond, and instead continued to stare out into the sea. Concerned, Irving walked to her side and spoke to her again in a quieter voice.

"Hey, Sophia." Irving said in a more sensitive voice.

"Irving. Do you know which direction Vermillion City is?" Sophia spoke, starting to choke up "I'm pretty sure it's this way, but I've- I- I-"

Sophia's words became incomprehensible as she broke into tears. Not sure what else to do, Irving wrapped his arms around her awkwardly, as Sophia cried into her hands. They stood that way for a few moments as Sophia tried to regain her composure.

"Irving, we're not going to see Vermillion, again." Sophia sobbed.

"Sure, we are-"

"They're taking us somewhere else; somewhere far away. We're not going to see it, anymore."

"Sophia..."

"They're gone, Irving. Mom's gone. Dad's gone. Our house is gone. The city-" Sophia lamented before breaking down into tears again. Irving still, unsure of what to do, continued to do nothing.

"Please, don't go, brother. I'll be all alone. Please, stay. Don't go. Don't go, please." Sophia pleaded.

Irving held Sophia even tighter.

"Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. We'll be fine, okay."

Irving knew Sophia. She couldn't take much more. The Rocket's had devastated her life, and taken everything precious from her. It's alright, Sophia. Irving will make everything better. He vowed that he would bring back the life that Sophia had lost and remove that which ailed her.

**000Linebreak000**

Sup Bitches?

Spah here again. Hope you liked the new chapter.

Rate & Review, please. I'd sure love some comments.

Seeya!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The Rest of the days at sea past rather quickly. Little happened on the ship since Irving's first day on it, but most of the time he spent was a blur anyway. The dull routine had just started to ingrain itself in Irving when the captain made an announcement for disembarking.

"All passengers, we will be arriving in Canalave city shortly. Please pack up your things and prepare to disembark."

Not that Irving or Sophia had much to pack. In fact, they had nothing to pack, as they carried everything they owned on their person. Instead, they decided to lounge on the deck one last time. It was practically empty, as most people were either gathering their things or already lining up at the exit. No sensing in getting in line. It's not like getting there earlier would do them any good; they didn't have much to do outside of wait for things, so what was the point? Best to enjoy the cruise while it lasted.

The first thing Irving noticed about the city in the distance was the large bridge connecting the two halves. The city actually looked kinda similar to Vermillion, at least at a distance. Much of what you could see at this far out was the usual stuff you see in port cities: boats, docks, crates, etc. Upon closer inspection however, Canalave was quite different from Vermillion. While Vermillion's docks stopped a few hundred meters from the water. Canalave's docks just seemed to extend forever, the port defining the city's existence.

The Giant Bridge raised up, letting the _Maria_ into port. There was a strong vibration as the ship pulled in.

"All passengers, we have arrived at Canalave city. Please disembark in an orderly fashion. There will be people outside who will guide you on land."

Sophia turned away from the railing to Irving. It'd be easier if she didn't think about it- oh, there came the waterworks. Irving held one of Sophia's hands and lead her to the ramp out of the ship. Or at least to its entrance; an endless cavalcade of people filled the routes out. Irving jammed himself into the crowd, leading Sophia to dry land. After a few minutes of pushing, shoving, and waiting, they reached the workers that the captain mentioned.

Blue helmets and semi-formal attire, some corralling the refugees, others unpacking and setting up equipment. Yep, they were peace corps workers.

"Everyone, go this way!" One of them shouted into the crowd with a megaphone. "Everything will be explained when you reach the camp!"

_Oh, lovely_. Irving got to be a camper. Camp Refugee.

Irving and Sophia followed the procession of people down the streets. There wasn't any motor transport allocated to this project. They would be walking to camp, through the Canalave streets, to the other side of the city. Such a large group of people attracted a lot of attention. There were rubberneckers everywhere and people coming out of their home to watch _what the hell are you staring at jackoff _like this was some sort of parade.

Said humiliation lasted for an half an hour or so, before they finally arrived at their destination. The camp was a hastily erected pen to hold a few thousand people. The ground was one continuous brown shade of dirt, covered by a tent city stretching out for hundreds of meters. Encircling it all was a barbed wire fence with guard posts and gates, ostensibly to keep the intruders out, but really just as much there to keep the refugees in.

The blue helmeted workers herded the horde through the camp's gates. Inside, Irving saw one continuous line moving from stall to stall, registering and collecting things. With no options, Irving and Sophia got in yet another Arceus-forsaken line and waited.

"Irving, I'm tired." Sophia moaned.

"Just a bit longer, Sophia." Irving responded, trying to hide the irritation in his voice "I'm tired, too, but there isn't much I can do about that either."

Come on, come on, line. Hurry up! Irving didn't exactly enjoy lines to begin with, but after miles of walking and a nagging sister, he just wanted this endless cycle of waiting in and moving to lines would be over. Irving went into the happy place in his head. Sunshine and warm grass and not waiting in a fucking line.

Inevitably, Irving reached his destination, a stand with an apathetic-looking worker processing all of the camper entrants.

"How many in your party?" the worker asked, jaded by the mind-numbing amount of data he had to enter that day.

"Two." Irving replied. The worker typed a little into his laptop.

"Names."

"Irving and Sophia Eisenherz."

"And who is the head of household."

Irving paused for a second.

"err, uhh..."

"Who is the eldest among you?" the worker asked, a little exasperated.

"I am." Irving finally responded.

"Any Pokémon?"

"Three small ones."

"Move to the next station." the worker directed Irving, as he readied himself to address the next hundreds of refugees.

Irving's brain tried to comprehend what had just happened. There was a certain way things were supposed to be, and they clearly weren't. Irving's Dad would talk to the man, since he was the head of the household. And if dad wasn't there, Mom would answer. They were adults and were qualified to take care of themselves and the family.

But they weren't here, and Irving said that he was the oldest. But that didn't make sense. Because if Irving were the oldest, he'd be the head of the household. But he was only fourteen, which was too young to be taking care of himself, let alone a family. Irving couldn't be the one in charge, and yet, there he was, looking after his sister and getting food and housing for the two of them. _Oh, Arceus..._

"Irving!"

Wait what. Oh, hey, the two of them were at the front of the line.

"Excuse, me, sir. Here are your things." A worker said handing Irving a plethora of household objects, and a smaller set to Sophia. "Next!"

Irving and Sophia were absorbed into the last segment of the line.

"Irving, pay attention next time. You're holding up the line!" Sophia scolded Irving.

"Sorry." Irving replied without any resistance.

Irving checked what he had in his hands. The bed roll and blanket combined with a couple bowls and medium-sized plates made up most of the weight in his arms. In addition, a couple of cups and some cooking and eating utensils rattled around on the plates, bumping into the toiletries bag laying in the middle of everything. Nothing to special, but Irving figured that he should be grateful that he got anything at all, especially something that was at least usable by most standards.

Irving looked ahead to see what was being handed out. Nothing. Well, not nothing, but not something, either. Another aid worker was taking the registration data and assigning tents to families. Wouldn't it be a lot easier just to have the registration guy assign housing? Whatever.

Irving honestly just hoped for a nice tent. A fair number of them were giant tents meant to hold an entire family. If they got assigned to one of those tents, chances were that Irving and Sophia would get stuck with some strangers, which Irving definitely didn't want to deal with. Instead, Irving crossed his fingers and hoped for a smaller two-person tent. Hell, he'd even take a regular camping tent if it meant not having to live within stabbing range of some mysterious and desperate stranger.

And soon enough, Irving was assigned a house.

"Tent 507c. It's on your left."

Irving wasn't one for prayer, but Arceus, if you're up there in whatever majestic landscape you live in, please, please, let this tent be only for two people. Hoping for the best, Irving sped down the camp roads, with Sophia in tow. _105... nope farther down... 304...A little bit more... oh here are the fives...501, 2, 3, 4... 7!_

Hell, yes! A small two-person tent! Irving was too relieved to care how sad his excitement seemed.

"Here we are, Sophia." Irving introduced.

"Really? This?" Sophia did not look the least bit impressed. Irving would not have any of that.

"Come on, Sophia. It's not so bad. Here, have a look inside." Irving said as he opened the tent's entrance.

"See? It's more spacious than it looks. There's even a fabric floor, so the bed spreads won't get dirty."

"Yeah, but it's still too small." Sophia lamented "Do you really think we can live in this? I can even stand up in this, let alone live in it."

Irving really didn't want to have to deal with his sister's complaints at the moment.

"Either way, we were assigned this tent and we'll have to stick with it. It'll be fine. Don't worry, it's just like camping." Irving tried to reassure his sister.

"Fine." she relented, starting to unpack her stuff. Irving followed suit, and soon enough, the tent resembled something like a room. The quality of living for now was tolerable for the two Eisenherz siblings.

"Hey, Sophia, you wanna go check out the rest of the place?"

"Sure, might as well."

Irving and Sophia made their way out of the tent and _fuck that is a lot of people_. Since the time that the two of them got set up, many more people had been let into the camp proper. Given the dimensions of the camp and the density of refugees, the closest thing Irving could compare it to was the most depressing shopping mall imaginable. Irving comprehended the mass of people he would have to deal with _it'll be fine it'll be fine it'll be fine_.

Irving and Sophia walked the now busy paths of the camp to find... more people. Okay, there were other things, but the density of people was starting to cramp Irving's style. He consoled himself by saying that it was only like this because everyone was trying to do everything at once. Sure. It would get better.

Anyway, there was other stuff besides people. Irving already located the nearest latrines. Yeah, they're rudimentary outhouses, but it's better than nothing. Or Portipotties.

And not nearly far away enough from the latrines was the camp's mess hall or whatever they called it. It had a bunch of wooden table bench things like the kind that are at parks and a few booths for the aid workers to distribute food. It looked passable, but seriously, who places the place where people eat next to the place where people shit? It was a cholera outbreak waiting to happen.

Continuing their walk, Irving and Sophia came across a giant field. Just like much of the rest of the camp, it was a flat, brown, and devoid of significant plant life. Unlike the rest of the camp, it also lacked much in the way of human life as well, as people were too busy for recreation. Still, Irving figured it could be good for soccer or the occasional Pokémon battle.

And that was it really. Oh, they passed plenty of tents, and the occasional water pump, but nothing terribly of note. Go in one direction to far and there was a nice big fence with razor wire on top to greet you. The camp was squared off by the fence, with the only exit being the one Irving came through. Of course, the guards weren't letting anyone out now. Something about needing a pass or something.

"Hey, Irving, let's head back." Sophia said. A dark red hue illuminated the camp as Irving and Sophia walked back to their tent. Things started to settle down in the camp. The noise still bothered Irving, but it had reached a manageable level. More importantly, people weren't moving around as much, trying to find their places. Instead, most people were eating food with their families or whatever remained of them. Probably should _grrrrrrrrrrr grumble_.

Irving rubbed his stomach as he realized how hungry he was. He hadn't really had a chance to eat all day, as they had been busy walking, standing in line, and otherwise being busy. Shit, that probably meant that Sophia was hungry, too. He turned to her.

"Hey, Sophia. You wanna grab something to eat? I'm starving." Irving ask.

"Yeah, I'm really hungry, too." she replied.

Irving and Sophia exited their tent, kitchenware in hand, and trekked to the food dispensary. Luckily by the time the two of them arrived, the lines started dying down, so it was only a short wait until they got food.

And as a bonus, the food actually resembled something edible this time. Unlike the ship's food, all of the parts of the meal were at least identifiable; there was medium-well cooked ham, overcooked greens, and overcooked potatoes. Normally, Irving would have complained about this, much like how Sophia's face showed disgust at first, but given the latrines' proximity, having all of the bacteria put through hellfire was a blessing in disguise.

The workers on food duty dished out adequate portions of each of these foods, although with grace and carefulness of, well, someone who was working a thankless, low paying job in some shithole. It was better than crappy food _and_ crappy service, though. Besides, who was Irving to turn down free food for him and his sister. Oh, and the Pokémon, too. Although, their food was normal bought-in-bulk cheap stuff and not of note.

Sophia decided to locate a table for the two of them while Irving filled up three bowls full of Pokémon food. After fidgeting with the four dishes until he could carry them all with some comfort, Irving meandered through the numerous benches until he could find _oh great Sophia found a table with other people at it_.

Irving approached the table Sophia had chosen, where she conversed with a small family of three. As he entered Sophia's line of sight, she waved at him and patted an empty spot, beckoning him to come over.

"Hey, Irving, these are some people I just met!" Sophia cheerfully said Irving sat down as far away as possible from these strangers. Not that he could distance himself anyway, considering the bench's small size. The eldest, a man not too much older than Irving's dad, extended his hand in a welcoming manner. Irving shook it firmly, despite his discomfort.

"Hey there, kiddo! I'm Matt Breckenridge." He said warmly "Nice to meetcha!"

"I'm Irving."

"I'm Kate Breckenridge." the woman next to him said as she shook Irving's hand. "And this is our daughter, Anna."

The girl facing Sophia to turned to Irving for a moment, curtly acknowledged his existence, and immediately resumed talking to Sophia. Fine, Irving never wanted to talk to her anyway. Irving turned away from the crowd at his table and sat down the bowls of Pokémon food.

"Togepi, Mudkip!" he called as he released them from their Pokéballs. They called out their names, happy to see their master and even happier to receive food, which they dug into. Sophia, too, released her Psyduck, who dug into his food with gusto as per usual. His mood improved by his Pokémon's presence, Irving began eating his own food, until he was unfortunately reminded that other people were eating at his table also, and worse they wanted to converse.

"Wow, those sure are some neat Pokémon there! I don't think I've ever seen ones like that back in Vermillion. What kind are they?" Mr. Breckenridge asked, with a sort of child-like enthusiasm.

"That's Togepi and that's Mudkip." Irving responded, pointing out each of them and trying to restrain his irritation. Irving then focused his attention back on his meal as he began to eat limp, color-drained greens.

"Man, they look pretty cool, Irving." Apparently, this man didn't place the same value on silence that Irving did. Irving didn't responded, hoping the man would go away.

"So what types are they?" Nope. Irving was picking the spot they sat at next time.

"Water. And normal." Irving explained in the briefest way possible.

"Real cool! We've got some normal and water types, ourselves!" The man continued blathering. "I got this awesome Pidgeotto, and my wife and I have a few Goldeen that swam in the back pond. Not anymore though, given the, you know, circumstances. Oh, and we just got a Rattata for Anna for her birthday! Ratty, is what I think she named it."

Oh, Arceus, please shut this man up. Irving desperately looked for an escape; maybe the Pokémon need more food. No, they've got plenty. How about Sophia? Nope, she was fully engaged with Anna. Oh, wait!

"Excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom." Irving told Mr. Breckenwhatever as he rose from his seat. Freedom at last! Irving took off towards the latrines. Not that he really had to go to the bathroom at the moment, but being at the shitter beat being with a chatterbox.

Irving sat down on one of the toilets, which thankfully weren't disgusting yet, as it was only the first day. Still, the smell was pretty rank. Irving really hoped that they had janitors here.

Irving fled the stench of the latrines after doing his business there. Much to his dismay, the Breckenridge family still existed. Oh, look. Mr. Breckenridge was waving him over.

Irving continued eating his food, and rather than engage the man in any way, just nodded whenever he spoke and gave the minimum interaction necessary. He said some stuff about grooming or Pokémon or whatever. Irving didn't care, instead focusing on his food. He didn't mind the overcooked stuff to be honest. He always preferred his meat medium-well, anyway, so this was only a step up. Potatoes were pretty dry, but they weren't any worse than the ones at school, or home for that matter; Irving wasn't blessed chef parents. And the formerly-green greens weren't bad if you pretended they weren't. Okay, they were pretty nasty anyway, but Irving needed the nutrients and the distraction.

As Irving finished up his meal, the Breckenridge family announced their departure, much to Irving's delight. Sophia and Anna took a while to end their conversation, as Sophia seemed to have invested herself in this family way more than Irving. Irving was going to be seeing these people again, wasn't he? Irving made his good-byes to the family as quick as possible and herded Sophia away from them.

"Sophia, you wanna head back to the tent?" Irving asked.

"Un-uh. I wanna go and play out in the field."

"Alright then. The Pokémon would probably like relaxing on solid ground again anyway. Oh, and I've got to take care of these dishes."

The field wasn't a terribly far walk from where they were. Unlike before though, there were a number of families washing dishes, playing with a soccer ball or with their Pokémon, or otherwise killing time. Reaching the field both of the Eisenherz siblings released their Pokémon. Irving sat down cross-legged and held Togepi in his lap as usual while Mudkip jumped out and started running around, eventually centering around Sophia and Psyduck. Sophia lead the two Pokémon towards a crowd of other children around her age and their Pokémon, mostly local varieties caught in the surrounding Vermillion City wild. Irving watched as Sophia introduced herself and seamlessly integrated into their group. They were far enough away that Irving couldn't understand what they were talking about, but they laughed and giggled and Sophia chatted up a storm. How very much like Sophia.

Sophia inherited Mom's extrovert tendencies. She surrounded herself with friends at school, trying to include everyone she met into her gigantic circle of friends. She saw every new kid at school or stranger on the street as a potential new friend. She'd strike up a conversation with anyone and her cuteness and generally cheerful personality won over most people, even if only resulting in a short chat. Irving watched as the group decided on something to do and started running of towards another end of the field; Irving picked up Togepi and followed at a distance.

All of the kids ran around with their Pokémon tagging each other (Irving couldn't tell at a distance what variety of tag exactly). The Tumult attracted the attention of more than a few nearby families, some moving as to avoid direct contact with the screechy, unruly mob. Irving knew to keep some space between himself and whatever group Sophia was with. Her enthusiasm rubbed off on other people, and it showed. This scene reminded him of countless times that Sophia had brought home friends from school. Oh sure, the gatherings started out innocuous enough. The girls would talk for a while about whatever girls their age talked about. Probably lame shit like clothing. Anyway, they'd reach some sort of topic that really got them really worked up, some sort of conversational event horizon, and then they get progressively rowdier. Irving's mom usually asked them to go into the backyard at that point, which should have been to Irving's liking. However, the window in his room faced the backyard and was usually open, the spring breeze chilling Irving just enough. He'd lose himself in a good book and their cacophony would pull him out of it. He tried to continue each time, but he learned soon enough just to give up. He'd put down the book and stare outside, watching Sophia horsing around with her friends. It irritated him then, but looking back, Irving preferred that scenario a thousand times to the one they were in now. He watched over his sister with a small, genuine smile.

The Kids continued to play for a while, Irving relaxing with Togepi, until, one by one, each of the children were called back by their parents until only Sophia remained. Having bid all of them goodbye, Sophia ran back over to Irving, Psyduck and Mudkip in tow.

"You ready to go back to the tent, Sophia?"

"Uh-huuuuuuuuuuuuh." Sophia affirmed as she broke into a yawn. Understandable, as it was pretty dark. Irving returned his Pokemon to their containers, as did Sophia, and they returned to their accommodations. Of course, Sophia had to tell Irving about each and every one of her friends that she met at the camp. There was Robbie and Suzie and Angela and Anna and bunch of other fuckin' kids that Irving couldn't conceivably care about, but arceusdamnit, he was going to try as hard as he could to. Even as they retrieved their toiletries and used them at a nearby faucet sticking out of the ground that acted as a sink, Sophia chatted up a storm. And like a repeat of dinner, Irving made his most convincing "I'm totally invested in this conversation" face and just let her talk. Unlike with Mr. Breckenshits, Irving invested in a conceiving facade because he actually cared about the person talking to him and knew how much this sort of stuff meant to her.

Fortunately for Irving, Sophia continued to quiet down as the returned to the tent. Irving was thankful that he had the foresight to set up their bedrolls in advance because he felt like collapsing at the moment. And he did _fuck right on something hard_. He adjusted the bed and then jumped in, ready for rest after a long day. He almost drifted to dreamland when he heard a quiet voice calling his name.

"Huh?" he responded

"Irving." Sophia repeated.

"Yeah, what is it?" Irving said, turning to Sophia and propping his upper body up with his palms.

"I... I had a lot of fun today, playing with everyone. But it also made me a bit sad." Sophia said. Irving remained quiet, but attentive.

"Anna had some super nice parents, who were really friendly. And when everyone was doing playing they all went off to be with their parents. I was the last one left. I didn't have any parents to go to."

Sophia turned to Irving, clearly distraught.

"I miss mom and dad, Irving! It's not fair! It's not! Why do I not have to have anyone, Irving?" Sophia cried out. Irving pulled Sophia into a gentle hug, patting her back.

"I miss mom and dad, too, Sophia." Irving said. "But you're not alone; you've got me. And I'm not going anywhere."

"Promise?" Sophia asked.

"Promise." Irving affirmed. "I miss them, too, you know. But we've got each other for now. And you've got your friends. You're not alone."

Sophia seemed to be assuaged by these words, enough so that both Irving and Sophia laid down to sleep down again. Yes, Irving knew Sophia was not alone. He would make sure of it. He was the adult of the family. Mom and Dad were gone and now it was Irving's time to run the family. He would step up to this challenge because no one else could but him.

**000Line Break000**

Spah here, again!

Woot, already over 10,000 words. Here's hoping that I can get a review or two sometime.

Anyway, hoped you enjoyed the chapter.

Seeya!


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